UPDATE: Riverside Rescues Run Out of Time – Unclaimed Survivors Put Down

In a heartbreaking follow-up to the devastating story of pit bulls rescued from a horrifying situation in Riverside County, CA, this past July, though some of the dogs, like Henry (pictured above) have been taken in rescue groups, those not so fortunate have had their time run out.

This is a sad ending to the frighteningly real nightmare these poor animals had to endure at the hands of their human captors. For those that survived their ordeal, but left so emotionally, physically, and mentally damaged from the atrocious conditions they were extracted, making it challenging to plance into foster care, we can only hope their passing is peaceful, grateful they won’t be hurting any longer.

Thank you to all the organizations, like Dream Team Angels Rescue and Wags and Walks, that stepped up to do whatever they could either through taking animals for fostering or getting the word out to others seeking assistance and support for these dogs. Your efforts are appreciated by all the affected animals and those who took up the mantel to show they cared.

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That is just wrong t kill innocent animals is wrong first of all they were MISTREATED by thier owners and NOW murdered by the law what treatment did thier humans get as always the dog suffers all way. Man murders all the time well GOD is coming and he avenge the innocent

This is appalling. This article suggests they just ran out of time but 3 were kept out of site and not offered to Rescue. Right now 4 are not on petharbor last we knew alive and 2 are MIA probably dead but the shelter will not confirm or deny that fact. For the rescue community to absorb almost 30 dogs is really difficult but this is not a shelter without space so an explanation that is better than “they ran out of time” should be required here. In truth it should be required for all animals in shelters.

Very sad situation. If you don’t like to see pets euthanized & don’t have pets, ADOPT as many as you can. Don’t hoard. If you can’t adopt, DONATE to the rescues that can save them because rescues can only support as many pets as they have money for. Many are foster based & they still need money to pay for medical care, training, food, transportation, etc. for as long as those animals are fostered. Most importantly, encourage everyone to ADOPT from rescues (not Craigslist or from the back of a truck in a parking lot), and spay/neuter their own pets. The more people that support rescue groups with money, fostering, or adopting, the more pets they can rescue from city shelters.

BTW, city shelters are NOT the problem. Shelters just deal with the oversupply of stray animals running around because irresponsible, greedy humans will either not fix their pets, care for them for life (owners dump them when they get sick), or get a real job & resort to illegal breeding of pets as easy income. It’s PEOPLE that are the main problem.

I am writing to you regarding the remaining dogs from the recent confiscation case in the La Sierra area, where 27 emaciated pitbulls were found starving among the carcasses of 11 dogs, and subsequently brought in by Riverside County Department of Animal Services to the San Jacinto Valley campus, the shelter which I understand you are the executive director of. I am the founder of the No Kill Shelter Alliance, a group of concerned animal advocates whose primary objective is to help bring about positive change in Southern California Shelters. Although to date our group has primarily been focused on another nearby shelter, Orange County, it has come to my attention that, while many of the dogs from this case have been rescued, one of the dogs, Paris (ID#A1300801) was killed the other day by your facility, and the other remaining 6 dogs (Timothy ID#A1300798, Charles ID#A1300795, Gary ID#A1300843, Byron ID#A1300813, Libby ID#A1300802, and Elsa ID#A130791) have been taken off PetHarbor, and are no longer visible or available to local rescue groups.

Given the deplorable conditions these dogs were found in, and obvious neglect they had previously endured, I consider this course of action to be entirely unacceptable. Although I fully understand the space limitations your shelter most likely is faced with on a daily basis, I believe this is a special case that requires particular attention, and that ALL of these dogs deserve that every effort be made to find homes for them. I don’t think I need to remind you of the media attention this case has received, both locally and worldwide, including from the Daily Mail newspaper, a publication that has a large readership not just in the UK, but across the board. I don’t know if these media outlets are aware of the outcome for these dogs thus far, but I’m sure they would be most interested to learn that every effort has in fact not been made to secure placement for all these animals, and unless there is an immediate plan to rectify this, I will be more than happy to apprise them of these recent developments.

Although I am fully aware that your shelter staff deemed Paris unadoptable because of certain behavioral challenges, in light of her prior predicament, I don’t think that is a valid excuse. I can only imagine the trauma she endured at the hands of her prior owner, and while I am in no way looking to excuse this, I firmly believe it was the shelter’s responsibility to do whatever was necessary to secure rescue for this dog. Clearly this was not the plan for her, and I am deeply saddened that she never got to experience the life she so deserved. However, at this point, it is my understanding that there are still 6 dogs that could potentially face a similar fate, and I am now looking to obviate a similar outcome for them.

As such, I am demanding that you reverse your decision to make these 6 dogs unavailable to rescues, and immediately place them back on PetHarbor, as well as make every effort to work with their respective behavioral issues and make them available to all local rescues with no restrictions, which in any case I believe would constitute a violation of the Hayden Act.

I sincerely hope not to have to draw any further public attention to this matter, but am fully prepared to do so if necessary. In this vein, I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Dr. Boisot, a few more of the remained dogs have been put to death..they claim ‘difficult to handle..’ I do hope this Animal Campus has proof of their reasons to kill this pups more than mere words.
Thanks for your courage and conviction to approach this place.
Just wishing the best for the dogs.

I understand that you feel as if you are doing the right thing by God’s creatures, however, I feel as if more can be done. There is a special place in Hell for people that mistreat animals and children and I feel that God is a just God and He will not let people get away with this. Maybe you feel you have granted these beautiful animals as much time as you can, but how are you able to make the determination to murder innocent animals? I am so sickened by this. I wish I had the funds and the property, there would be no homeless, unwanted animals if I had could prevent it.

I do not understand how we can keep so many prisoners alive in the prisons yet we cannot or will not keep a helpless animal alive this is so absurd to me that it really angers me with this unfair system.
Really the government should reassest this policy.

Dr. Soskia Boisot, Thank you for stepping forward and confronting this “shelter” head on. I fully support you and suggest a change.org petition be started to gather signatures.

While I hem & haw over the ASPCA, they do have behavior rehab programs. Additionally, in Southern CA there must be organizations out there who work to rehab pit bulls to become adoptable. As a NYer, I am not familiar with So Cal at all, I unfortunately cannot offer up other suggestions.

Via the Freedom of Information Act, you should be able to request the “profiles”, “documents” a.k.a. The paper trail for each of these dogs. I’d even request all the abuse investigation records, vet notes, behaviorist notes & what criteria they use to determine who’s adoptable and who’s not. I’d challenge to see what training, degree, experience the behaviorist has.

Often times, when abused animals enter a wretched animal “control” facility, they are terrified beyond means. Their world has been turned upside down. They are afraid of humans because they were abused. Those facilities wreak of fear and death and that only adds to their initial behavior…it’s called survival/protection. Sounds like this place just provides them with shelter, food, & water. If they have no other services, then basically, they are a short-term retention facility and then euthanizes these animals for lack of what they can do. I would not give them money, I would find a rescue org just for pit bull abuse rehabilitation and get the remaining dogs out.

The lack of transparency is disturbing. Is this a city municipality shelter (animal control) and are they funded by tax payer dollars.? If so, the public has a right to know the status of those dogs. Again, Freedom of Information Act requests.

With all I have said, the biggest actionable item is to find out the status of those dogs and then get them out of there and to a place where they can be helped.

I am very interested in their response and what happens. Do you have contact information that you’d be able to share so that people (me) can keep up-to-date?

Thank you Doctor. As for those who currently house those dogs, relinquish them to an organization(s) who can rehabilitate them. Euthanasia is not the answer and your lack of transparency is very disturbing. Legitamet organizations do not hold back information, they answer simple questions, such as, “What is the status of th dogs?”

This is an UNACCEPTABLE action regarding these dogs. Step up & do the right thing. Are you really for animal welfare or is this ‘just a job’ to you; to solve issues you euthanize instead of seek out help.

San jacinto valley animal campus is not being truthfull…they are covering up lies, and messed up actions done by their staff member. One example is #A1305249 from their place .he would be alive by now if their rescue coordinator Brittany Fonseca would have checked carefully( at least just checked id#) just lies and cover up

This is so sad, felt choking my throat and cries reading this sites, This is so sad story regarding these types of groups that says-calling themselves as animal rescuers but shame on them.., not really a rescuers but its an animal killers. NOTE; These animals are a victims by bad humans ..Please leave them alone and let the group of good peoples-a real animals rescuers to get them who will keep them alive. But not you a group of animal killers. Shame on you.

But also the realities of some of animal shelters-rescuers it is receiving lots of monies from peoples donations helping these unfortunates animals providing for their daily needs, maintenance although some are uses for construction-constructing a lavish building as animal shelter. Some humans needs lavish life. For Animal ? shelter?
-Animals don’t need lavish…, they only need a simple place where to live their lives and where has place to stay and sleep safe, where can be happy to play and daily.foods & maintenance.to keep them alive (A real rescuers does it) keeping animals alive till their natural death. They deserve it etc.

FUCKING ASSHOLES! Cant try to find them a home… I wish all the Horrible Human Beings that enjoy doing this , would just Die and Burn in Hell! All A lot of Humans want to do is destroy our wonderful Animals, Sorry im not one of the Nice Comment People , I don’t sugar coat and ALWAYS say exactly what i think! And the truth is they are just Horrible!!!

Become part of the solution, not the problem. These animals needed homes. How many of the people posting negative things here about the shelter or rescues went and adopted one, or if they were rescue only, how many of you adopted another from rescue to free up a space? Its horrible, of course it is.every animal deserves to be cared for and loved. But complaining doesn’t fix it. Financially supporting the rescues, and adopting does